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Sunday, February 12, 2012

This post is going to be a bit different than my usual post
on the blog. I’m not going to
write about marketing all that much, since sadly marketing had very little to
do with what cars our family narrowed down to. Is this because marketing has little impact on car shopping?
No. I’m sure it had more to do
with my being fairly knowledgeable about the cars currently in the market so
discovery wasn’t a factor.

It’s been over four years since I last went through the car
buying experience. There is never a dull moment when buying a car.

A lot of information is online, including every dealership’s
inventory that makes seeing what’s already on dealer lots easy, sometimes. I found several dealers didn’t fill out
all of the specifications including such basic things as interior color and
packages. I even had one dealer I
did an email inquiry on ignore my simple question about interior color and
instead told me to, “Come on down and test drive it. You’ll love it!” “You know
what I’d love to know what the interior color is,” I responded in a follow up
email.

One thing I learned is that dealers still have a ton to
learn. Their email systems with
auto-response are a mess, often making communication more troubling. In another
situation, I submitted a request to get a dealer’s “ePrice.” What came back was a lovely form email
telling the MSRP as the “ePrice” on a car that’s body style is 5 years old and
I know full well had at least a couple thousand dollars of room to negotiate.
You think they would’ve tried a little with even $500 off.

Our car buying decision was a joint process between my wife
and me. It was to replace her 1999
Lexus RX300 that was starting to suffer old age with too many repairs last
year. Since our moving to Dallas
from Detroit, we do a lot more out of state travel. My wife isn’t a big fan of flying so driving back and forth
between Texas and Michigan is at least a twice a year thing.

So we needed a car that worked for our family of four (twin
5 year old boys in tow), had all-wheel drive thanks to Michigan winter driving
still, had plenty of cargo space, and navigation. Plus a decent turning radius
after 10 years of the Lexus that required a three-point turn in every
situation.

About a year ago, we were online and I was showing my wife the
integrated child booster seats on the Volvo SUVs and wagon. This $1000 option, included in the cold
package, had my wife talking about wanting a Volvo most of last year. The XC90 was her primary choice.

While I liked the Volvos, I wanted to look at some other
choices too. I started researching
used Porsche Cayennes and X5 Diesels, knowing new was out of my league. She wanted a new car so my dream of
Euro CPO was out of the question.

Our first experience with a Volvo was a overnight extended
test-drive before Christmas break in a XC90. I had been down to a dealership in
late November and the sales guy kept leaving me messages, but I wasn’t serious
enough to buy or call back yet. Finally he left one message saying he can offer
us an overnight test-drive. I took him up on it.

It was massively disappointing – showing how the test-drive
is the most significant part of a buying decision. The XC90 had soft, floaty handling and some of the interior
items, because the car hasn’t been refreshed in a major way since 2002 when it
launched, felt cheap and poorly executed.
I remember most the ugly window switch that looked like it came out of a
late 1990s Ford, which it probably did.
Also the third row was completely useless.

We returned the XC90 telling the salesperson at Park Place
Volvo in Dallas that we were going on vacation for the holiday and to call us
back first week of January. I
still have yet to hear from this dealership…

Fast forward to early February.

I’m very fortunate. I have some great contacts in the auto
industry and thanks to Scott Monty and Sam Delag of Ford I was able to secure a
2012 Ford Explorer to see if I could get my wife interested in a Ford. Let me preface, her good friend had an Explorer in the 1990s and hated it. In fact, I helped our friend buy a Toyota Highlander
after the miserable experience with her Ford. So, my wife was very skeptical.

I told her Ford really has changed. Of course, I
knew this very well having worked at Ford’s Agency of Record Team Detroit for 3
years before coming to AT&T in Dallas in 2010.

We spent about 5 days with the Explorer and it dramatically
changed my wife’s opinion of the brand.
It also had us both extremely close to buying a Ford. There was a lot to love. MyFord Touch
was loaded with technology, including changing ambient interior light colors –
the best feature according our kids.
Also the automatic, and useful, third-row seating was very
impressive.

What we didn’t love was the size. It felt huge on the road
and Dallas has a lot of narrow parking spaces so I found myself having to pass
2 or 3 before finding a spot I wouldn’t get 50 door dings in.

The size was also what we loved the most. It is a great road
trip SUV and we could easily imagine some great drives across the States in
it. It had everything too with
heated/cooled seats, dual-sunroofs, and great comfortable seats for all three
rows.

We returned it to Grapevine Ford who was fantastic for
letting us try it out. Trevor, the
sales guy who arranged everything, was excellent and I highly recommend him.

Next we had arranged for a Volvo XC70 T6 station wagon from
Volvo of Dallas for a weekend.

It was loaded with every feature imaginable; though, felt
less optioned then the Ford Explorer we just returned the week before. Goes to
show you how complete the Explorer is.

I have to say I loved the Volvo on two main points: handling
and engine. It satisfied
everything I wanted out of a family hauler. The turbo 300 horsepower and 325 pound feet of torque engine
is slightly better than a stock version of my 2007 BMW 335i. Handling on the T6 model is also
firm and responsive. It’s no BMW
but it was a world of difference from the unimpressive XC90’s handling.

Our boys really liked the integrated booster seats. My wife felt the car was easier to
drive than the larger Explorer and the technology seemed a lot simpler too.
While MyFord Touch had a lot of cool features, it made for a very confusing
interface after the more straight forward; though, less feature rich
Volvo.

The bad news on the Volvo was no third-row, a tiny sunroof,
and no air-cooled seats. Also
the Volvo was about $4,000 more.

In the end we went with the Volvo knowing that while we
would appreciate the size and third-row of the Explorer a few key times in the
year it wasn’t really necessary. Plus the Volvo was just easier day-to-day for
my wife to drive and I loved the engine and handling of the XC70 T6.

We also had a great salesperson, Jonathan Tullis, who made the whole transaction easy and straight forward, plus he follows up with customers.

While there are a lot of factors that go into choosing a
vehicle, I find it funny that so little had anything to do with word-of-mouth, ads
or social media. Though offers did matter since both cars had great financing
rates that were a factor in our consideration.

Quite simply the biggest factor of our choice was a $1,000
option: the integrated child seats.
If that option was available in other brands, we most likely would’ve
looked at them, because in the end it’s all about product. This time Volvo took
an early lead and a strong finish with one simple product feature advantage no
one else had.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

This is the Third Annual She Said, He Said with my good friend and fellow automotive blogger Melanie Batenchuck who writes at BeCarChic.

Overview
This year’s Super Bowl was somewhat of a game changer for the auto industry. Much like the mood at the North American International Auto Show, the message last night was “We’re back! Now please buy our cars.”
Twelve carmakers spread the ad love with 22 commercials aired before and during the big game. Hyundai and Chevrolet had the bulk of ads with four and three spots respectively, but that doesn’t mean they were the most memorable. Hyundai sponsored the kick-off pregame, where it aired two ads – one on the Elantra and the other on Hyundai’s 45,000 employees in the U.S. Toyota sponsored half time.

Needless to say, cars could be found in nearly every commercial break. And it seemed as if every car company was trying to out-do Volkswagen’s 2011 ‘Darth Vader’ ad, including Volkswagen, but none really achieved it. Honda’s Ferris Bueller homage was probably the closest to recreating the VW nostalgia among audiences.

#SuperBowl social media was everywhere
The incorporation of social media was even more prevalent in this year’s Super Bowl. Last year, we saw the introduction of promoted tweets and hash tags, and SB46 included a plethora of such targeted advertising. While Audi and Acura added hash tags to the end of their commercials (#SoLongVampires and #JerrysNSX), others stirred buzz through promoted tweets and has tags.

There was even a legal spat between Ford and Chevrolet over the Chevy’s apocalyptic “2012” ad that specifically mentions a Ford truck driver ‘didn’t make it’ through the end of the world. A lawyer from Ford sent a cease and desist letter to General Motors on Saturday, February 4.

YouTube ruins ads for anyone paying attention
If you’re like me, then you’re excited about the teaser ads companies release prior to the Super Bowl so you can get a taste of what is to come. All I wanted was a taste, but the week leading up to the big game left me drinking from a fire hose. Once an auto brand jumped off the YouTube bridge, the others tumbled like dominoes right behind.
The pregame release of commercials can be fun if they aren’t the same ads aired during the game or simply share the beginning of the story and you have to catch the rest on TV.

The only car spot that we didn’t get a sneak peek at was Chrysler’s ‘Halftime for America’ ad starring the ever-gritty Clint Eastwood.

Now on to the good stuff…
Below is the full ‘He Said, She Said’ analysis with Melanie for each automotive ad during the Super Bowl in the order that they aired. Enjoy our commentary and let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

HE SAID: Another quick, simple idea with Jeff Bridges calmly delivering the punch line, must be another Hyundai ad? Not much to say here except I wonder if Hyundai could make a bigger splash by concentrating their Super Bowl ads into a single ad.

SHE SAID: Hyundai kicked off Super Bowl XLVI with a feel-good, patriotic ad aired during the pregame event. The familiar voice of actor Jeff Bridges told us it was a Hyundai commercial before ‘Stars and Stripes’ cued the adorable Elantra, this year’s winner of the North American Car of the Year.

HE SAID: Hyundai went for short comedic spots, but for this one they shared how their corporate culture is one of supportive action complete with Rocky theme music. If I recall correctly, this ad ran between the coin toss and kickoff. The positive energy was fun but like many Super Bowl spots last night it didn’t generate much interest after its 60 seconds were up.

With only 70,000 views on YouTube, no one searched for and based on the comments a significant amount of Union Automotive workers didn’t feel inspired after non-union Hyundai factories were featured.

SHE SAID: The Korean-based automaker took this opportunity (and the ‘Rocky’ theme) to showcase its 45,000 employees in the U.S. and how the team at their Montgomery, Ala. Plant helps to make Hyundai the brand that it is today. Although the singing was a bit cheesy, I liked that this ad helped to dispel the myth that American cars are built only in Michigan.

HE SAID: Adriana Lima, Chuck Liddell, Motley Crue, and a stadium full of bikini clad fans… seriously what more do you want from a small automotive brand? It’s a fun ad with a lot of big production ingredients designed to hit all of the target demographic passions of its aspirational buyer.

SHE SAID: Kia plays up both men and women’s senses by giving us a look into their dreams with this outrageous ad featuring fairy dust, Motley Crue, a race track, a white stallion, and Adriana Lima (who made a second SB46 appearance for Teleflora). This one wins my award for ‘most fun’ out of the car ads. It pleased both male and female audiences and had a lot of great energy behind it.

HE SAID: Meh. They promoted this ad quite a bit using Facebook ads the entire week before the game. It too is highly forgettable and the concept while cute for a second lacks the fun of the other Hyundai spots like “Think Fast.”

SHE SAID: By now, I was ready to see an ad from someone other than Hyundai…and this wasn’t even their last installment. While the commercial was entertaining, I felt that stacking all of their ads so close together made it difficult for everyday consumers who were watching to differentiate between the company’s products.

HE SAID: Charming. When you can make a temporary heart failure charming, you know your ad has a great premise. This simple ad without a big name celebrity, Hollywood movie set, or show dog finds a fun way to message performance. It’s unexpected and gets a quick smile from the Super Bowl audience.

The ad is complimented by several online videos featuring the High-Powered Business Tips from the boss in the Genesis Coupe ad. Of course you’ll have to figure that out online and not from the TV spot.

SHE SAID: I had a small chuckle at this ad, mostly because it reminded me of a scene from my favorite movie “What about Bob?,” where Bob (played by Bill Murray) won’t wake up out of bed Other than that, it simply shows that the Genesis Coupe comes with good braking agility.

HE SAID: And now for some MoFilms user-generated semi-professional videographer ad goodness that’s not from Doritos. The Happy Grad ad is great. A new sports car is something any grad would go nuts for if mom and dad presented such a surprise while still in a cap-and-gown. The reality of the graduate’s non-present is one we can all relate too.

SHE SAID: I didn’t really get this ad either. The parents really didn’t try to show their son the fridge. And who gives their kid a mini fridge for graduation? Much less one out on the front lawn….

HE SAID: This is a continuation of Toyota’s personal stories campaign that’s been asking owners on social media to share their stories. It’s not a bad ad; though, like the Lexus ad it blends into the crowd. What’s missing here is personalizing the stories even more by showcasing the exact language from their owners and sharing posts the brand has received on the web.

“Connections” is similar to a lot of past ads by just about any car company. We all have a story to share from our car. Every car I’ve ever owned has some story. So having a personal story really isn’t that interesting so I’m doubtful this campaign creates any compelling positioning any against competitors. Sharing a story in and of itself is dull even if you do add a cute dog hanging its head out a window.

SHE SAID: Toyota tried to tug at your heart strings here , but I think this commercial would have been more effective as a regularly run ad. The Super Bowl is so cluttered with attention grabbing spots that trying to get people sentimental about their Camry’s a few adult beverages in, may not be the best approach (unless, of course, you’re Chrysler).

HE SAID: I refuse to review this ad as a Super Bowl ad, it was launched last year and is not original to the Super Bowl. Granted it was the first time many people paid attention to the ad, even if they passively saw it before…

SHE SAID: This video was saucy to say the least. What can I say, sexiness sells. Any commercial that can get my husband to tweet that he wants to look at a Fiat 500 is a success in my book. Sorry dear, it doesn’t come with the model.

HE SAID: A few people have asked me what do I think of the Twilight Audi ad. I felt it was more True Blood with the older vampires and cooler Echo and the Bunnymen soundtrack. Plus as one 20 year old reminded me they think Volvo when thinking Twilight vampires, since Volvo dominated in movie placements.

The whole Twilight, True Blood, vampire trendy thing aside the ad is a great example of taking a rather mundane product feature like headlights and making it compelling in an interesting way. Is it Super Bowl entertaining? Sure. Not every ad on game day has to have a dog or model (or soccer star) in underwear.

SHE SAID: This one actually made me laugh out loud, mostly because I’m not into all that Vampire stuff. Lots of people liked the funny ad and the hash tag they assigned to it (#SoLongVampires). This commercial was for those of us who aren’t in love with blood-sucking teen wolves. Unfortunately, the ad fell short of promoting a car. Who spends $3.5 million to advertise headlights?

HE SAID: My choice for cutest dog ad goes to Suzuki for the Kizashi “Sled” commercial. It’s adorable heck even the human driver is adorable and isn’t that what great pet advertising is all about? Plus what else are you going to say about an All-Wheel Drive system that hasn’t been said or done twenty thousand times already.

SHE SAID: My first reaction was, “Suzuki has enough money to buy a Super Bowl ad?” After the initial shock, I then found this to be a witty ad. Glad to see the Kisashi get some love. Hopefully it’ll translate into some U.S. sales for the company.

HE SAID: One creative idea that always gets tiring is the “let’s break a world record or be the first at X.” You know the brainstorming has hit a wall when your creative team starts Googling to see if anyone has skydived a car before.

That said, it’s a well done version of a rather boring concept. Of course the well chosen music track "We Are Young" by Fun, ft. Janelle Monae helps dramatically.

SHE SAID: Many of my friends really liked the adventurous spirit of the Sonic ‘stunt’ ad. I thought it was pretty rad and catered to the X-games demographic. I’m not running out to get a Sonic anytime soon (because I still think it’s a glorified Aveo), but others have recommended the sporty compact.

HE SAID: Nice grille. Now is a good time to go get another beer before the game comes back on.

Honestly, it’s a good update to a rather bland design and in person I love the new GS I saw at the Panasonic booth while at CES last month, but this ad is entirely forgettable and nothing is worse than a forgettable Super Bowl commercial you just paid $3.5 million for.

SHE SAID: I actually liked the teaser ad better because it created some suspense and excitement. I would have like to have seen an extended version that showed the some of the performance aspects of this Lexus classic.

HE SAID: Another 3-Series challenger. Welcome Cadillac, join the crowd and thanks for the cliche track porn driving around Nuremberg. Can we all agree as an industry that Nuremberg shall never be used in another ad campaign or PR stunt? It's as overplayed as Tim Tebow Internet memes.

SHE SAID: Sorry, but just because you hired German engineers and flung it around the ‘Ring doesn’t mean it’s a BMW beater.

HE SAID: Sleeping baby for the win! Not sure how a bouncing tire tread basketball on a wood court is similar to a pothole filled Michigan road on 19” performance rims, but I’ll admit I’m over thinking this one. Maybe it’s just because I don’t really care to make the connection between basketball and a tire’s quietness.

SHE SAID: Yawn. Nobody wants to hear about tire treads, we want to see it in action. Give us performance!

HE SAID: One of my favorites as long as you overlook the sad notion that every child of the 80s high school playing-hooky idol ends up in middle-age driving a Honda CR-V. Then again many do end up in a basic, but nice car like a CR-V. Nothing is wrong with that except most of us remember the car aspect of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off as the beginning of collective our lust for a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California.

Of all the Ferris Bueller film moments in the ad, it’s not surprising we don’t see Broderick telling us, “if you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up” about the CR-V.

Oh well, it was great seeing a character we all loved return; though, Honda’s teaser made several think a new Ferris movie was coming, not another Super Bowl car ad. Guess we’ll all have to continue waiting for the full feature film of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off from Work coming to theaters in...?

SHE SAID: Ferris Bueller lives!...and he drives a CR-V. I liked how Honda brought back pleasant memories from a movie almost everyone over the age of 25 can remember (did I just age myself?). They did a great job recreating scenes of the original flick in such a short amount of time. Not sure anyone will be running out to by a CR-V, but there is a Facebook group pining for a sequel!

HE SAID: This is the ad that crashed Acura’s website after it aired. I’m not surprised. Not because of the Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno celebrity effect. Nope. The reason everyone was rushing to Acura’s website was to see if they could afford the return of the much anticipated NSX!

What a beautiful car and a fun way to build excitement for the limited production release. Make a game of being first and isn’t being the guy on the block with the coolest car in the garage satisfy one of our most primitive desires? Plus this is one of the more believable celebrity fights to be first to own a car. This is the game of wealthy car enthusiast comedians than your typical Super Bowl viewer.

SHE SAID: The NSX lives!! And it’s really coming to production this time! I heart Jerry Seinfeld and Jay Leno. This would have been my favorite ad if it didn’t get released before the Super Bowl.

HE SAID: Star Wars has gone to the dogs. I ended up playing a drinking game with fellow #BrandBowl tweeters. Simple concept. Dog in ad = Drink. Thank you Volkswagen for the help.

SHE SAID: Well, well, well. VW actually released a teaser video and THEN a full Super Bowl ad that was loosely tied in with it. What a concept! This was a fun-loving bit that anyone could enjoy. Wait, is that the dog driving the Forester in that Subaru commercial?

HE SAID: Some of the concepts here were cute and others confusing. Unfortunately the Camry didn’t look reinvented. It takes a pretty keen eye to see what Toyota has changed on the car this year. And with a typical evolutionary, not revolutionary change the concept of this ad falls short.

Also what's with the time traveling baby that doesn’t poop and when it rains you lose weight? Neither seems desirable, except the no pooping part.

SHE SAID: I would definitely want to reinvent the DMV experience. The only thing missing in this ad and the other spot by Toyota was how they reinvented the Camry.

HE SAID: I call this the Anti-Mitt Romney NY Times Op Ed Article Commercial. Sure it lacks the ring or sentimentality of It’s Halftime in America.

For a second year, Chrysler goes for the emotional up by our bootstraps brand messaging, but this time uses Dirty Hairy and fosters the strength of all of America, not just Detroit. It’s gritty, dark and strong just like last year’s ad but with a broader appeal.

Like the VW Star Wars ads, the Chrysler spot basically borrowed from last year’s success without an original idea. Instead it was more about building on prior success using a similar concept.

It’s not that I don’t like the Chrysler spot. It’s good. It’s just that I sort of saw it last year with Eminem and no offense to Clint Eastwood, but last year’s version was better.
Besides I felt it was also so negative. Almost a view of America that is about 3 years old especially after seeing the improvements in the Unemployment rate and reduced fear about a massive recession; though, I’m by no means suggesting this economy is all fixed.

SHE SAID: This ad left me chanting, “Clint Eastwood for President!” For the second year in a row, Chrysler has seriously tugged on the heartstrings of Detroiters and Americans. There’s no one better to send the message of America’s true grit than Clint Eastwood. Although many people found this to be too politicized, I think it’s well timed. I liked how the ad didn’t showcase one car but rather bits of various Chrysler brand vehicles. Oh, and my favorite part of the ad? I didn’t see it before it aired!

HE SAID: My favorite ad by far. I’m mainly happy to see the end of the world is less depressing than Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. Now there is a lot of controversy sounding this ad today after Ford raised several issues with Chevy’s claim of their product not surviving the fake-pocalypse, but that’s an issue for PR and legal.

As an ad, it is well done and a great touch with Twinkies surviving the apocalypse for a bonus comedic effect.

SHE SAID: Drama! The ad was great, don’t get me wrong. I just think that it would have had a stronger impact if Chevy didn’t single out Ford in such a negative way. After all, Ford isn’t the only other automaker competing in the truck market.
Disclaimer: The author of this post provides strategic communications services for organizations that represent the auto industry, including many of the car manufacturers featured in this blog post. The views expressed in this post are solely the author’s and were not solicited by any third party.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Last year Volkswagen had quite the viral hit with "The Force" Super Bowl ad. Of course, many forget that hit required some media spend to drive awareness about the commercial before the big game. Volkswagen did several paid media placements including the homepage of YouTube.

The awareness raised by advertising assisted sharing dramatically, but mostly sharing worked because "The Force" ad was brilliant with its adorable use of Star Wars encapsulated in the eyes of a little boy playing Darth Vader.

Here is a list of the Super Bowl commercials having some pregame advertising to drive YouTube video views along with how many views they received as of Saturday morning February 4. Each ad had it's own amount of advertising dollars supporting it.

We'll all see a year from now if one of these ads can attain the viral dominance of VW's "The Force" which has 50,014,879 views after a year on YouTube.

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What is The Auto Marketing Blog?

The Auto Marketing Blog is a marketing blog analyzing various companies and their brand engagement online. It looks at efforts that affect sales, new product launches, viral campaigns, social media usage, online media choices, brand lift, and other related advertising . Within these entries I will not only share opinions on what I think brands are doing wrong (or right), but will also provide ideas to further enhance efforts that may improve your own marketing decisions.